After work, Alveena and Andrew left the company together. Today, Andrew would be staying at his penthouse where Alveena was temporarily living because he would prepare his things to bring overseas.
For the past few days, Andrew had been staying at the Davis Mansion while Alveena was in his penthouse. He thought that it was inappropriate to stay in one house together with Alveena.
When they arrived at Andrew's place, he noticed that Alveena seemed like she was not in her usual self. She's very silent which was so unlikely of her.
Little did he know, Alveena was still troubled by the deal she made with her brother, Clifford. She felt stressed just thinking about those things, especially her arranged marriage.
Andrew was just observing her. He was not used to seeing her like this. He knew that something was troubling her as of now.
'What's wrong with this woman? Her mood is very gloomy. Did something wrong happen to her today? She's not like this at the start of the day. What happened in the afternoon?' Andrew marveled at that thought.
Alveena sat in the living room after changing her clothes. Andrew followed her. They have already eaten their dinner outside before they went home.
Andrew sat down beside her and decided to confront her.
"Is everything alright?" Andrew asked her in a neutral voice, hiding his concern for her.
Alveena who was spacing out in her seat snapped herself back to reality after hearing his voice. She failed to notice that Andrew was already sitting next to her.
She glanced at him and gave him a faint smile while saying, "Yeah. Nothing wrong. I'm just tired."
Andrew arched his eyebrow. He didn't totally buy it. He could feel it. She's not okay. Her usual mood was not like this. But he couldn't force her if she didn't want to talk about it.
Andrew shrugged his shoulders and changed the topic.
"By the way, when are you returning to your family? I think you should go back now and talk to them. Running away is not a good solution to your problem," Andrew said, trying to convince her to go back.
Alveena fell silent when she heard that. Because of what she learned today and the deal with her brother, she couldn't go back yet.
She rubbed her palms in front of Andrew while putting on a pitiful face.
"Please, let me stay here for a few more weeks. I don't want to go back yet. Please, Boss. If I return now then I will forever lose my freedom. I don't want that to happen." Alveena mumbled pitifully with her pleading tone.
"I'm doing my job well as your personal assistant, right? Can you be considerate of me, Boss?" She added.
Andrew just looked at her helplessly. He massaged his temples and shook his head.
"Speaking of that, you can now stop doing that. I'm gonna leave the day after tomorrow. I have a business trip abroad. That's why I am telling you to go back to your family."
Alveena didn't know how she would react after hearing that. 'Andrew is leaving for a business trip. But how long? How long will I not be able to see him? Furthermore, If that's the case then I have no reason to continue coming and reporting at Heavenly Star Enterprise.'
'How can I explain this to my evil brother? What if he will back out on his words and help my parents to marry me off? No! This can't be! I have to convince Andrew.' Alveena panicked at that thought.
Alveena suddenly pounced on Andrew, hugging his body tightly as she rested her face on his chest.
Andrew was bewildered by her sudden action. He automatically froze on his seat the moment he felt her soft body close to him.
He could smell her sweet scent from this close distance. She was already using the perfume he gifted her. He chose the brand that suited her personality. It was Kilian- 'good girl has gone bad' perfume.
After a while, he heard Alveena mumbling something to him.
"How long will you be gone? Can you bring me with you? I don't want to return home yet. Can I come with you? Please? Bring me with you. I can be your personal assistant there. I promise I will behave. Just please don't leave me here."
Andrew glanced at the girl with disbelief. 'Here we go again. Asking me too much. Why is she doing this?'
Andrew held her shoulders as he gently pushed her away from his body to maintain distance with her. He felt a little bit uncomfortable and sensitive with the closeness of their bodies.
Alveena looked up to meet his gaze. Andrew didn't know why but he started explaining things to her after seeing that pleading look in her eyes.
"Something came up in our branch overseas. I have to fix the problem, that's why I will be leaving. It will be stressful in the coming days. Alveena, you don't have to come with me. Just return home okay?"
Alveena pouted while shaking her head. "No. I want to come with you. I'm gonna miss you!"
Andrew: "..."
There was a moment of silence after Alveena said her last sentence.
'Damn! What am I saying? It just came out of my mouth naturally.' Alveena scolded herself inwardly.
Meanwhile, Andrew had an indescribable expression on his face. He was still speechless. He was just staring at Alveena.
Alveena looked away, pretending that she didn't say anything. The atmosphere became more awkward because of their silence.
Alveena couldn't stand it so she spoke again to convince Andrew. Deep inside, she really wanted to come. Maybe she was thinking of running away again because of her brother.
It's better if she's overseas. Her brother couldn't easily monitor her movement. She needed more time to figure out how she would be able to solve her problem so that she could be free from her brother's scheme.
"Andrew… I'm sorry for pestering you so much nowadays. I just need more time. I can't go back yet. Please help me."
This time Alveena became more serious. She was expressing what she truly felt.
"My parents… they are planning to set me up with a guy for an arranged marriage. I can't accept this setup. I don't want to do it. I know I can't run away forever… but it's just that I am not yet ready to face this." Alveena looked down.
Andrew was taken aback when he heard that. Marriage without love and feelings? He knew it was hard for her to accept it. He could somehow understand her feelings.
Meanwhile, Alveena felt embarrassed for bugging Andrew so much but she had no choice. Besides, for some unknown reason, she wanted to stick with him.
"Even if you refuse my request, I will not return home. I will just keep thinking of running away for now. My evil brother won't even help me." She felt very helpless and desperate.
"Please, let me come with you. Promise. I will figure out how to fix my problem. Just give me more time. That's all I need. Please, Andrew."
Andrew heaved a deep sigh. "Alright. I can bring you with me. But how about your passport? You still need to go home to get it. How can you come with me without it?"
Alveena's face brightened up when Andrew finally agreed. She was overjoyed because she could come with him.
"Don't worry, I can handle it!" Alveena reassured him.
Without second thoughts, Alveena hugged Andrew once again as she thanked him over and over again.
'Jeez, what am I gonna do with this woman? I can't believe it myself. I concede again with her request.'
"Ahem, Alveena… you can let go of me now…" Andrew said to the woman who was still hugging him.
"Oh sorry… I am just really thankful! Don't worry. I will be a good personal assistant for you! I will help you solve the company issue! Just leave it to me!" Alveena said to him confidently.
Andrew just arched his eyebrows in amusement. 'How can she confidently say that? She can't even fix her own problem.' Andrew facepalmed at that thought.
******
On the same night, Alveena called Clifford. She asked him to send her passport to her by tomorrow. She didn't explain the reason why.
However, she informed him about the company issue the Heavenly Star Enterprise was facing overseas. Little did she know that Clifford was the one responsible for that.
Clifford was so glad to hear it. He found out that his strategy was working so well.
The brother and sister were talking over the phone.
Clifford: "So how about Tristan Davis? What is he gonna do with this problem?"
Alveena: "I heard that Tristan will personally handle the problem in the other branch. The day after tomorrow, he will leave the country to go overseas."
Clifford: "Good."
Clifford smiled after hearing that. This was the outcome he wanted. To separate Tristan from his wife for a while as he would do his move on his wife, Lillie Meyer.
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